Recently the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) and the Town of Newmarket partnered together to complete the first ever York Region well head protection area (WHPA) –Q2 (area affected by recharge reduction) offsetting project at the Magna Centre. The local Source Water Protection Plan, under the Clean Water Act, requires new development within a WHPA-Q2 to achieve a water balance. If this cannot be achieved, compensation is required for recharge at another project site nearby.

The Low Impact Development (LID) retrofit project provides groundwater recharge to the underlying aquifer along with stormwater quality improvements. The result reduces total suspended solids and phosphorus in a treatment train fashion alongside a pre-existing wet pond located downstream.

Project Partnership:

The Magna Centre was selected for the first WHPA-Q2 offsetting project because of its highly visible location to the public and close proximity to the new subdivision project that generated the offset funds. It was important to showcase the LID features and the benefits of the partnership. Public updates about the project were provided on a project page and on social media along the way.

LSRCA welcomed the opportunity to partner with the town of Newmarket who has been a strong advocate for stormwater management practices. They continually look for LID retrofit projects where possible. In 2017, the town also completed an LID retrofit project that included permeable pavement and bioretention features at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex.

Construction specialist, Brook Piotrowski providing project update

Project Summary:

Five interceptor swales with underlying infiltration trenches were constructed at the site to receive stormwater runoff from a portion of the parking lot and western drive aisle to enhance an already existing end-of-pipe stormwater management system. These LID features treat runoff at the source by using natural properties of soil and vegetation to remove contaminants.

The success of the WHPA-Q2 offset funds result is over 1750 m3 of average infiltration volume. In addition, the benefits of the LID features also further enhances total suspended solids and phosphorus removal from the stormwater before discharge into the underlying groundwater and receiving Bogart Creek tributary.